Besides the data presented in Tables 1 and 2 additional information 
given by retrapping should be considered. Sixty-three sites which yielded 
‘birds in April on Prescott Peninsula in Quabbin Reservation were retrapped 
after May 15. Twenty-five birds were captured. As indicated in Tables 
1 and 2,.9 of these birds had not changed singing grounds and 6 had moved. 
The tables do not bring out the fact that 8 new birds were caught on sites 
occupied by other birds in April. Two additional unbanded birds were 
captured on sites unoccupied in April. This indicates movement--whether 
migratory or not is problematical as will be discussed in a later section. 
Based on the evidence to date it seems clear that most adult male 
woodcocks return to the vicinity of their breeding sites of previous 
years. Competition is undoubtedly a factor in causing a change of sing~ 
ing ground although there were two instances where birds failed to re- 
occupy a singing ground used a previous year in spite of the fact no 
other bird was using it. The case of bird #50-3)530h, caught 3 years 
in succession, suggests that a male may occupy a new singing ground a 
second year if driven from his original site but may successfully reclaim 
the latter a year later. During early April when some resident birds 
have arrived and other migratory birds are passing through it is logical 
to expect a good deal of jockeying around of males competing for singing 
grounds. The assumption of many observers is that once a male becomes 
established he remains at his singing site throughout the breeding season. 
Trapping returns in 1950 and this spring demonstrate that males still visit 
neighboring singing grounds late in the breeding season and frequently 
occupy different territories than those used consistently in mid-April 
during what is regarded as the height of the breeding season. 
33 
